{"id":20671,"date":"2026-02-07T19:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T18:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20671"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:14:03","slug":"vancouver-overdose-prevention-site-closes-less-than-2-years-after-relocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/vancouver-overdose-prevention-site-closes-less-than-2-years-after-relocation\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver overdose prevention site closes less than 2 years after relocation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"full-width-container top-head\">\n<header class=\"globalHeader viewportLarge newsHeader\"><\/header>\n<div id=\"a11yNotification\" class=\"a11y\" role=\"alert\" aria-live=\"polite\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>The Thomus Donaghy site had been relocated before due to public safety concerns<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span><\/div>\n<div role=\"alert\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"a11y\" role=\"alert\" aria-live=\"polite\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">by Janella Hamilton and Shaurya Kshatri <\/span>&#8211; CBC News <span class=\"bullet\">\u00b7 <\/span><time class=\"timeStamp\" datetime=\"2026-02-01T04:21:56.238Z\">Jan 31, 2026\u00a0<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"full-width-container mid-content\">\n<div class=\"detail detailBody pageComponent\">\n<div class=\"detailBodyContainer withSidebar\">\n<div class=\"withFlex\">\n<div id=\"detailContent\" class=\"detailMainCol sclt-storycontent\">\n<div data-cy=\"storyWrapper\">\n<figure class=\"imageMedia leadmedia-story full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/vancouver-overdose-prevention-site-closes-less-than-2-years-after-relocation\/donaghy-shooting-gallery\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20696\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20696\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Donaghy-shooting-gallery.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"927\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Donaghy-shooting-gallery.jpg 927w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Donaghy-shooting-gallery-640x365.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Donaghy-shooting-gallery-768x438.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px\" \/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><em>The previous site of the overdose prevention site is seen on the intersection of Seymour Street and Helmcken Street. The site moved to Howe Street in April 2024, which has now closed. (Justine Boulin\/CBC)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A Vancouver overdose prevention site has closed less than two years after it moved from its previous location, raising concerns among health officials and harm reduction advocates as the province sees record number of overdose calls to emergency services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site, located at 1060 Howe St., shut its doors Saturday, according to Vancouver Coastal Health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The health authority says the owner of the building, Prima Properties, notified them to leave the property by the end of January after hearing a number of complaints from nearby residents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">CBC News reached out to the building&#8217;s owner to understand the scope and nature of the complaints but did not hear back by deadline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Dr. Patricia Daly, VCH\u2019s chief medical health officer said the health authority took steps to address neighbourhood concerns, including hiring security, conducting needle sweeps, and placing staff on the sidewalk to prevent disorder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cI myself frequently went down and observed that things seemed to be operating as they should,\u201d Daly said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The Howe Street location opened after the site was moved from Seymour Street in Yaletown in April 2024 following\u00a0public safety concerns\u00a0and backlash from nearby residents.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;It was actually a very good location, not visible to people on the street,\u201d Daly said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">It was the only one of its kind in what VCH calls the Vancouver City Centre area, which includes most of downtown, the West End and Fairview.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThat neighbourhood has the second highest rate of overdose deaths in our region, and the third highest rate in the entire province,\u201d Daly said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Daly says the OPS typically saw about 400 to 500 visits per week and has reversed more than 300 overdoses since its opening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Across Vancouver, there are\u00a012 overdose prevention sites, most of them located in the Downtown Eastside. But with the latest closure, that number drops to 11.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">People who relied on the site will be directed to services in the Downtown Eastside, which is about a 30-minute walk away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">************<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Earlier this week, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control issued a\u00a0province-wide drug alert, noting new substances in the unregulated drug supply are putting people at risk province-wide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">It says\u00a0medetomidine, used primarily by veterinarians to sedate animals, is now being mixed with opioids like fentanyl.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Harm reduction and recovery advocate Guy Felicella said closing overdose prevention sites at a time like this is \u201cdisappointing and sad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cWith the drug supply this deadly, not only you&#8217;re going to see people consuming substances out in the community, we could also witness people dying out in the community,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Felicella says overdose prevention sites played a critical role in his personal life.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cI struggled in this area and the Downtown Eastside for decades and I was brought back to life multiple times at these services,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Daly says the health authority is working with the City of Vancouver and other partners to identify a permanent or at least a temporary replacement location but she says it has become increasingly difficult to find a location that would host overdose prevention services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cWe hope to have something available on at least a temporary basis within the next week or two,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"source\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/thomus-donaghy-overdose-prevention-site-closing-9.7069806<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Thomus Donaghy site had been relocated before due to public safety concerns &#8211; by Janella Hamilton and Shaurya Kshatri &#8211; CBC News \u00b7 Jan 31, 2026\u00a0 The previous site of the overdose prevention site is seen on the intersection of Seymour Street and Helmcken Street. The site moved to Howe Street in April 2024, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,16,32,129,68,141,64,67,40,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-canada","category-crime-violence-prison","category-culture","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-harm-reduction-research","category-health","category-needle-exchange","category-prevention-research","category-treatment-addiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20671"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20698,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20671\/revisions\/20698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}